Zhuang Tianci chuckled, and a black-clothed man wearing a bamboo hat walked in behind him.
"Brother Zhuang."
Zhuang Tianci nodded slightly in acknowledgment, "Did you find any clues? Where is Lin Zhiwen?"
The man in black scanned the surroundings and immediately noticed Lin Zhiwen and his brother hiding, pointing at them.
"Over there, by the way, that night when I came here, it was the young master of this place and a girl who drove me away. Later, I hope big brother can take care of those two for me."
This man was none other than the Inner Strength expert who had attacked the Lin Family that night.
"No problem," Zhuang Tianci casually replied. He looked at Lin Zhiwen and took big strides towards him.
Just then, a woman's voice, carrying a hint of chill, resounded above the courtyard.
"Qingluo Secret Sect? Since when did our territory of the Four Sects alliance fall under the Qingluo's jurisdiction to run wild?"
As the voice sounded, Lin Zhiwen's face paled even more, utterly baffled as to why these Immortal Masters had arrived so quickly.
And Zhuang Tianci's expression slightly changed.
"I am unaware which Fairy from the Four Sects has graced us with their presence, please reveal yourself."
He stopped in his tracks and bowed, yet around him faintly wafted a light green current.
*********************
Outside the right side of the Lin Family's compound wall.
From time to time, Protectors and soldiers ran past the gray-white wall, each one having lost their weapons, panicking as if they were terribly frightened.
Some fearless and curious onlookers rushed towards the direction of the fleeing soldiers. Faint voices could be heard discussing an Immortal Master, the city defense general's death, and that the Lin Family was doomed, among other things.
The shopkeepers and residents in the neighborhood near the Lin Family also hurriedly began to shut their doors and windows, afraid of seeing what they should not.
While the tales of Immortal Masters were not unheard of in these times, nearly every tale was negative — with every appearance bringing bloodshed and heavy casualties, almost no different from the legendary demons and ghosts.
Lin Xin and his associates had just managed to sneak into the city through a guarded entrance and were greeted with this chaos.
Around the Lin Family, the once vibrant and securely guarded view had turned into a scene of panic and disorder. Some individuals wearing bamboo hats stood guard outside, allowing no one in or out.
The three of them sat in a tea shop, watching the chaotic scene at the Lin Family from a distance; the shop had already closed, with the tables and chairs still out. They contrasted starkly with a couple of vendors who were hastenedly pushing fruit carts away.
"What do we do now?" An Ying helplessly looked at her senior brother Lin Xin. "So an Immortal Master shows up, probably those guys watching the Inner Strength master showing off, right?"
Chen Rui's eyelids twitched, but she said nothing.
Lin Xin's eyes fixed on the high walls of the Lin Family courtyard, his brows furrowed.
"Whether there really is an Immortal Master, I don't know, but I heard that explosion loud and clear. Even if it's not an Immortal Master but an Inner Strength master, I'm afraid it's not something we can deal with."
"So, what should we do?" An Ying grew anxious, "The elder of the Lin family might still be inside. We have to go and save them now!"
"What's the rush!" Lin Xin was also feeling anxious, although he had not been with the Lin Family for long, he still felt a slight sense of belonging and reliance on the family and did not want to give up just like that.
"If we can catch one of those with the Qingluo Blade first to inquire about the situation, that will make things clearer." Lin Xin tried to keep calm inwardly. "The key now is to figure out exactly what happened," he thought.
"And what about Miss Chen? What do you plan?" Lin Xin looked towards Chen Rui.
"Me? I need to deliver something to someone in the city; let us part ways here." Chen Rui spoke evenly.
"That's fine, thank you, Miss Chen, for your assistance this time." Lin Xin bowed.
"I should be thanking you, for helping me safely descend the mountain and enter the city." Chen Rui smiled faintly, "It's a pity that my martial arts skills are weak and I was unable to assist you two more, I'm truly sorry."
She quickly disappeared into the crowd; her appearance was peculiar, her departure was peculiar, and her silhouette from the back now looked as resolute as burning one's boats - a strangely firm determination.
Lin Xin and his companion watched her disappear into the thinning crowd and soon withdrew their gaze.
"Let's go too."
Lin Xin stood up and looked towards a group of bamboo-hat wearers quickly approaching on the street.
An Ying immediately understood his intent.
***************
Moments later, on a green grassy slope by a river outside the city.
Lin Xin dragged one of the bamboo-hat wearers, tossing him onto the grass.
Swish!
The tip of the longsword pointed right at the chest of the bamboo-hat wearer.
"Spare me… spare me..." the bamboo-hat wearer pleaded weakly; he had been stabbed before and was now bleeding profusely, very weak, and with the sword pointing at him, he was petrified, close to death.
An Ying had cooperated with Lin Xin to divert the group of bamboo-hat wearers, then he attacked and captured one who was isolated. Although his movements were not proficient, relying on a burst of Inner Strength, Lin Xin quickly injured and captured one of the straggling bamboo-hat wearers.
"Speak, is that so-called Immortal Master from the Lin Family really real?" Lin Xin demanded coldly.
"Big... hero, I'm just a lowly underling..."
"Cut the nonsense!" Lin Xin thrust his sword into the man's chest, the blade sinking into flesh until it hit the sternum, causing the man to scream in agony.
"Stop, stop... I'll talk! I'll talk... Hero, slow down! Slow down!!" This guy was exceptionally afraid of death.
Seeing Lin Xin ready to kill at a word, the man swallowed hard and hurriedly said,
"Indeed... there is an Immortal Master, said to be a high-ranked master personally from our Qingluo Secret Sect, even the high-ranking retainers respect him deeply... that's all I know, please, hero, spare my life, spare my life..."
Lin Xin interrogated him further about the details and discovered that the Qingluo Blade was actually just a branch faction of the Qingluo Secret Sect, which sent a shock through him.
The Immortal Master really did exist, and it seemed that he had come to retrieve something that Lin Zhiwen had taken away long ago.
"Hero, I can't take it anymore, really, I can't! Please let me go, I have a ninety-year-old mother at home waiting for me to take care of her until her last days..."
Lin Xin, however, was expressionless and stabbed his sword down fiercely into the chest of the man with the conical hat. The man made a choking sound as a large amount of blood frothed from his mouth, his eyes turning white, and he was breathless in less than a minute.
Watching the blood quickly soak through the man's black clothes and slowly spread out in a circle.
Lin Xin felt an indescribable feeling in his heart.
This was actually his true first time killing someone, although he had seen many dead bodies before and had watched his junior sister An Ying kill people, it all seemed like there was a barrier in between, like he was playing a game.
But now, the creature that had been speaking and moving just a moment ago, and which he ended with a gentle thrust of his sword, had the same flesh and blood as himself. He found himself unable to move.
This feeling...
Suddenly, Lin Xin felt as if the world had become much clearer. He also felt that at this moment he truly integrated into this world.
"So... death is just that simple..."
He withdrew the sword, watching the slowly dripping blood from the tip of the blade, looking at the body that no longer moved.
Glancing around, he noticed a small head quickly shrinking back behind a large rock nearby, perhaps a child from a neighboring household.
"If one were ruthless enough, one might even consider silencing the child." Lin Xin gave a bitter smile, thought no more of it, and turned to leave, heading towards the meeting place agreed upon with his junior sister.
Immortal Master... there really was an Immortal Master...
Having just developed his Inner Strength, he thought he had gained a measure of self-protection, only to hear that there were even Immortal Masters in this world!
And the Lin Family had gotten involved in a conflict concerning an Immortal Master.
Previously, Lin Xinru had heard of these legends and rumors but had taken them as just stories. Now, it seemed, the stories and jokes from his memories might not all be false...
Holding a complex thought, Lin Xin felt both anticipation and nervousness.
He was excited by the possibility that if there really were Immortal Masters and Immortal Laws in this world, he might also have a chance to encounter them.
He was nervous because the Lin Family was involved in a major event, and he did not know what the outcome would be.
Perhaps, running far away might be the best choice for him...
But somehow, there was a burning passion slowly brewing within him, a desire he could not explain himself, even surpassing the anxiety of life-threatening danger.
Immortal Laws... what exactly are they?
**************
Lin Family
A beautiful woman in flowing white garments stood in front of Lin Zhiwen, her eyes cold as she stared at Zhuang Tianci who was over ten meters away.
The woman seemed to radiate a white chill all over, dressed like a Daoist nun, her skin pale almost to the point of transparency, looking as delicate and fragile as a porcelain doll. Standing in front of Lin Zhiwen, she was not as tall as him, but the pressure she exerted on Zhuang Tianci and others was significant.
Zhuang Tianci gave a forced smile.
"I wonder who it could be, it turns out to be Fairy Nuyue Zhao Si'er herself. I didn't expect your Plum Blossom Sect to arrive so quickly."
"Your Qingluo Sect isn't slow either," Zhao Si'er replied, holding a yellow Taoist talisman in one hand, raising it in front of her chest with Ghost Talisman-like blood-red characters on it.
"The Spirit Spring Child is an item of my Qingluo Sect, does the Fairy wish to snatch it by force?" Zhuang Tianci chuckled coldly. "The Plum Blossom Sect is a well-known Orthodox Sect, surely the Fairy wouldn't stoop to such unscrupulous actions, right?"
"What do you mean 'your Qingluo Sect's item'?" Zhao Si'er countered with a cold laugh. "As far as I know, that item was a unique discovery by Lin Zhiwen alone in a cultivator's Cave Mansion, what does it have to do with your Qingluo Sect?"
"That Cave Mansion is actually left by a predecessor of our Qingluo Sect, originally meant for his successor and disciples. Unfortunately, Lin Zhiwen got there first, sneaking in and stealing the treasure to escape."
"Nonsense! Are you trying to twist the truth with me!?" Fairy Nuyue's delicate eyebrows raised sharply, her faint eyebrows nearly invisible, giving her a fierce appearance.
"How can you say it's twisting the truth? Our Qingluo Sect has always persuaded others with reason," Zhuang Tianci clapped his hands, and suddenly a petite girl walked out from behind him.
The petite girl had purple lips and cute, charming features, her hair tied in many small braids that looked like shoulder-length hair scattered over her shoulders, dressed in a long black and purple dress that unmistakably accentuated her slim waist.
"Sister Nuyue, long time no see, have you missed your little sister?" The girl smiled sweetly, her demeanor gentle and lovely, yet her eyes were extremely cold, with faint hints of black aura surrounding her.